Investor Profile: Livingbridge — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Livingbridge is a leading mid-market private equity firm headquartered in London, with offices in Manchester, Melbourne and Boston. Founded in 1995 and operating under its current name since November 2014, when it rebranded from Isis Equity Partners, it has supported over 170 companies across 25-plus years. Livingbridge funding is growth equity and buyout capital for ambitious, entrepreneurial businesses, not seed cheques for startups.

Investment thesis

Livingbridge backs ambitious management teams to unlock their businesses' true potential: investment done the right way, built on ambition and experience. Its approach rests on three qualities: proven, drawing on every deal since 1999; focused, matching ambition with expertise and capital; and genuine, delivering what it commits to. It seeks entrepreneurial, high-growth companies where it adds value beyond capital, via international expansion, operational improvement and data-led decisions.

Sectors, stages and fund size

Livingbridge focuses on four sectors: technology, services, healthcare and education, and consumer. Its flagship fund, Livingbridge 6, raised £660 million in 2016, its largest fundraise to date, targeting companies with enterprise values typically between £20 million and £75 million. Its smaller-companies vehicle, Livingbridge Enterprise 3, is a growth fund of around $411 million vintage 2020. Across the platform, Livingbridge can provide equity of £2 million to £40 million. Current total assets under management are not publicly disclosed. It invests predominantly in the UK, with an international footprint via Australia and the United States.

Notable portfolio companies

In January 2000 Livingbridge acquired a 40 per cent stake in clothing retailer FatFace for £5 million, selling to Advent International in 2005 for £110 million. It sold global staffing business Frank Recruitment Group to TPG Capital in 2016, and has exited travel agent Reed & MacKay and IT provider Onyx. Recent investments include Nourish Care, the Bournemouth digital care planning software provider to UK social care, backed in March 2022, and Kindred Nurseries, its most recent Enterprise 3 deal in November 2024.

Partners and team

Livingbridge is led by managing partner Wol Kolade, who has grown it into a sustainable investment business with over 70 employees. Partners Mark Advani and Andrew Garside lead mid-market deal teams, in a culture where every opinion is valued and the team is quietly ambitious. Livingbridge won UK House of the Year at the 2017 Real Deals Private Equity Awards.

Programmes, credits and perks

Livingbridge runs no startup accelerator and offers no published credits bundle: its model is partnership with established management teams. Its distinctive programme is the Future Board Leaders Programme, an industry-first initiative to improve board diversity at private equity-backed companies. The three-month programme helps established leaders from diverse backgrounds move into non-executive roles advising private equity-backed firms, addressing data showing average female board representation of just 13 per cent across over 3,700 such companies in 2022.

How to apply for funding from Livingbridge

Management teams seeking Livingbridge funding should approach the firm via livingbridge.com with a clear growth story: an established business, typically valued at £20 million to £75 million for mid-market deals, or a smaller high-growth company for its Enterprise funds. Livingbridge seeks leaders it can partner with over years, so show a credible plan for international expansion, operational improvement or acquisition-led growth, and a team open to working closely with an investor.